Duty Always Calls for the Guardian
by Ryujin Maou
Summary: Many hard fought battles, many challenges surpassed. His latest battle one more step towards his dream. However, everybody needs some rest every once in a while. It's not that unresonable of a request, right? After his defeat in Kalos, all Ash wants is that rest, for both his body and soul. He knows of a good place, Alola. Should be easy to rest there, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Duty waits.**  
His steps on the dirt road emitted a soft noise. He walked with an easy pace, not really on a hurry.

The weather was fine, Kanto was known for its mild and stable seasons. His partner slept away on his shoulders, the yellow rodent seemingly not having anything to worry about. Ash gave it to his partner, enjoying the simple things in life was most amazing.  
The teen closed his eyes, letting his feet guide him to his destination. He would never get lost here, having walked through this trail countless times. The path had been engraved into his mind.

Ash pondered for a while about his latest journey that had just finished. Kalos has been a real roller coaster of emotions, what with once more dealing with world ending events, legendaries, crazy teams and the ever usual routine that was bound to follow him.  
He let out an satisfied huff. The trainer opened his eyes and glanced at the road, seeing the edges of his hometown. He let a tiny smile settle on his lips. He made sure his partner was safely secured and started a slow jog. The day was just beginning, the sun rays still not shining full force.  
A few minutes later he was in front of his home. The house was impeccable, the paint was new, the garden was tended to, a new white picket fence had been erected. He hoped that the key door was still the same. It was.

He entered his home and a wave of nostalgia washed over his frame. _It has been a long time since I have been home!_  
He left his dirty traveling boots by the shoe stand and went to the kitchen to grab himself a drink. Ash placed his sleeping partner on the table and went to the fridge. He grabbed a carton of juice and brought to his mouth, drinking it in mouthfuls.

The back door leading to a bigger garden opened up and its angry caretaker steeped inside, his sharp voice shooting lines at Ash.  
The teen looked back at the Mr. Mime, the juice carton just about empty, and waved to the pokemon. The psychic-type momentarily smiled and waved back before he realized the trick and angrily stomped on the ground, acute voice raising to a higher pitch.  
The empty carton was, now wrapped in blue psychic energy, pulled from his grasp and found its place in the trash bin.

"Hey Mime, I see you're up early." The statement was met with a stare from the fairy/psychic. Ash smiled and offered his hand to the pokemon. After a few seconds under the scrutiny of the fairy/psychic, the pokemon accepted his handshake.  
Ash let go and pulled a chair for himself and the pokemon, sitting and dropping his heavy backpack on his side. The pokemon didn't sit down, preferring to use his powers to hold the heavy load and direct it to the laundry room. The trainer thanked the 'mon once more and finally relaxed.  
He took off his hat and ran his hand through the mess that was his hair. _Need to get a haircut soon, mom is gonna be snappy if I don't._

His partner stirred, stretching himself and acknowledging his trainer. Pikachu squeaked and sat on his hind, letting Ash pat his head and tame down any wild fur.  
He shed off his traveling jacket, fishing his Pokédex and setting the device atop the table. Professor Oak would want the data he had acquired over on Kalos for sure.  
"Dear?" The womanly voice he missed so much.  
The teen turned to the source, seeing Delia Ketchum descending the stairs from her room. The woman was still, her mouth open as she tried to formulate words. Eventually she gave up and proceeded to finish her descend before approaching and hugging him. He let her do as she pleases, she deserved it after all.

~Streeeeetch~

"It hurts, mom!"  
"That is what you get, you cheeky brat! Do you know how worried I was when I saw you on the TV? Risking yourself like that! I almost had a heart attack!" Her barrage was to be expected, since he hadn't really exposed her to the most dangerous parts of his travels, only the light and fun parts. Delia didn't need to know what he truly faced when he exited home.  
That didn't meant, however, that her pulling his cheek didn't hurt!  
She continued until his face was a beet red color. He massaged the stinging area, Pikachu quietly pretending to be air.  
Delia picked the rodent as one holds a dear plushie and pat the pokemon's head. Ash grumbled under his breath about the unfair treatment.  
"Have you eaten breakfast?"  
"Couldn't commit the sin of coming home and not stuffing myself with you food!"  
That earned a smile from her. Soon enough the woman was displaying her amazing skill in the Kitchen. Giovanni has been a retard to leave such a wonderful woman for his criminal bandwagon, but that wasn't Ash's business. The past was the past.

* * *

"What happened to that amazing shaving set I gave you? Have you even used it?" Delia asked as she finished her own plate.

Ash rubbed his hand over his face, feeling the growing facial hair. A bristling noise emitted softly. "Honestly? Yeah, I used it everyday. It did last a while, but it worn out halfway through the journey. Couldn't be bothered to buy another one." He said nonchalantly. His mother sighed and let a wry smile adorn her lips.  
"Have you seen the Professor yet?" She drank a bit of coffee and asked.  
"No, I came straight from Viridian to here. After my latest adventure on Kalos, I figured I needed a bit of a vacation. I want to relax for a while." Ash sipped from his own mug and looked to his mother. "I remembered that ever since I came from Sinnoh, you have been wanting that vacation to Alola. Since I have some time now, I figured we could go there a enjoy for a while."  
The smile that his mother displayed was barely contained in her own face. Her eyes lit up and she stood from her seat, almost gushing with enthusiasm. Mr. Mime followed her, almost as happy as the woman.  
Ash looked at his mother with warm eyes. He should not allow her to worry about him. She deserved the world. He picked his partner up, the yellow fur ball riding to his right shoulder almost immediately. He felt the slight static as his buddy touched the skin exposed by the black tank top he was wearing.

"I'll be at the lab with Prof. Oak! If you need any help with packing your stuff just give me a call!" He shouted, receiving a complying shout from his mother. "Let's go Pi." Pikachu squeaked in delight, reuniting with his peers would no doubt be joyous.  
The trainer put his boots back on and exited his home, slowly treading the way to the lab. He checked his pockets for the Pokedex chip containing the data on Kalos' pokemons, finding the little bugger inside his rear pocket.  
As he walked, the chirp of the Pidgey served to remind him of the start of his journey, when he was just a snot-nosed brat. Although seven years normally would only amount to a Experienced Trainer, he had earned the League's highest level, Experienced Senior. Of course there were a few levels higher than that, but any of them meant tying himself into being League Staff.  
Many trainers craved for those positions. Gym leader, Gym apprentice, Ranger, Ace; all of these came with their special bonuses, yet none really called out to him, their limitations were not something Ash wanted to deal with.  
Should a war break out (the possibility of one happening normally would be null), trainers were to present themselves as soldiers for their home Regions. Hierarchy would be decided either by the local Gym Leader or another League high ranking officer.  
Realizing his thoughts were going to a dark place, something that was happening quite constantly, he discarded them in favor of appreciating the sight of Oak's corral.

He caught sight of the usual dirt cloud, his herd of Taurus rampaging around. Even from this distance, Ash could hear the sound of the wooden face being impacted. The vision brought a smile to his lips.  
King, the leader of the herd, bellowed. He had caught sight of Ash.  
The teen approached the wooden fence with a quickened pace, hoping to dissuade any wide-area move that the bovines might do while in joy of his return. One Earthquake was bad enough, now imagine 30 Taurus doing the same move combined. Yeah, terrifying!

King approached the fence by himself, the herd raring to meet their master. The trainer met his pokemon, patting the head of the powerful creature, making it release a pleased huff.  
"Ah ah, none of that King. Last time you guys did Earth Rumble, Proffesor Oak wanted me skinned alive." The mock-anger didn't get to the bovine, who simply let loose another bellow. "Yeah yeah, missed you too. Let me pass by the lab and then we can have a group meeting. Can you please call the others?"  
An affirmative nod.  
"Great!" Pikachu squeaked and jumped onto the back of the three tailed behemoth. "Thanks Pi. I'll get you guys some tasty treats." The duo of pokemon went their way happily talking with each other, the herd calmly following behind their leader. Some came by Ash and head butted the fence, the usual sight of affection. Ash gave head-pats to those that came.

* * *

"Professor, you alive?" The trainer had stopped in front of the white building, none of the usual helpers by. Many apprentices came for tutelage under the famous Samuel Oak, none of them present. Ash guessed that either the applications were rejected or the old man had sent the bootlickers into "field research".

Receiving no answer, he simply opened the front door. With his many studies and the isolation provided by basically secluding himself in the boonies, the old Oak could afford to leave his front door unlocked. Not like anyone was foolish enough to attack Samuel motherfucking Oak.  
Ash made his way over to the research area. Knowing the man, he had probably passed out, hungry and sleep deprived.  
As he passed the "Starters area", Ash entered the research area where notes and documents where kept. Over one of the tables, buried under many pages, Ash found the good Professor.  
The teen sighed. Maybe Daisy was right and the old coot needed to get himself a new wife, or a permanent apprentice, or a maid. Whichever was the most convenient. Ash made his way to a coffee vending machine in the corner of the room. A pokedollar in, some steaming black coffee out.  
"Good morning, Professor!" The trainer spoke, the pile of papers exploding to reveal the Elder. The man looked frantically all around the room until his eyes found Ash close by.  
"Good heavens, if it isn't Pallet Town's pride!" The joke was old by now. He had been "Pallet Town's Pride" together with Gary since their first League. Their rookie year, yet both managed to settle into high ranking positions. A good memory of how far he had come.  
"You really have to improve on your jokes, sir!" The teen offered the steaming cup to the Elder, the man taking it and immediately downing the whole thing.  
"Ohh that hits the spot! Thanks, kiddo!" The Professor sat back into his chair as the teen went and grabbed another coffee.  
"Another all-nighter?"  
"You don't know the half of it! But before that," the man took another sip of his coffee before standing up and opening his arms to hug Ash. "Welcome back kid!"  
Ash answered the gesture.  
"Thanks Old timer, I'm back!"  
The duo sat down. Oak managed to clean some space into his table, allowing Ash to put the Pokedex chip card into visible space.  
"I take it that you enjoyed your time offer Kalos?" Oak asked while pulling a device out of his pocket. It looked similar to Ash's pokedex, just a bit more high tech. He inserted the card into a slot and the screen displayed the loading status. Samuel left the device on the table as he turned to the trainer.

"Yeah it was great! Met new people, saw new sights, got some new partners, you know the deal." The teen proceeded to talk about his travels while in Kalos. He kept the more "world-ending" details to himself, but outside of that was fair game.  
The two spent quite a while talking, the Professor has even gotten his hands into a notepad and started writing some of the details Ash imparted upon him.  
It was more of an abridged version, since the teen still had to visit his friends. Their impatience to see him was clear, if the slight quake he felt was anything to go by.

"I will see how my friends are doing. How about we talk later over some dinner and a few drinks?" The Professor had one eyebrow raised. "Kalos has been quite generous with me sir!" He left the joke hanging as he made his way to the back exit. Samuel laughed boisterously.  
"Sure thing, my boy! I, myself, need to wash up and eat a decent meal. Daisy would nag me if she were the one to discover me today. At 21:00 is good for you?" The professor ran his hand over his greasy hair and rubbed his tired eyes.  
"Sounds good." Ash gave his answer as he exited the building.  
Pikachu came sprinting him way, his flying buddies just in tow. The trainer fixed his stance, easily letting the rodent climb up. The red blur that settled onto his left shoulder was ease enough to recognize, Swellow, ever so proud.  
The invisible weight that perched over his right was a dead giveaway, Noctowel. The illusion faded to reveal the the shiny owl, big eyes and sideways head staring at him.  
The duo of birds left their perch as the white and grey predator slammed over the trainer. Staraptor had gotten faster!  
Unfeasant was the most gentle, her gentle coo enough to show just the required amount of affection.  
He had little time to react to everything else, seeing as Gible appeared from underground and chomped at his right hand. His attention grabbed by the land shark, he couldn't avoid the following:  
-Snivy smacking dab into his face;

-Bayleef smothering hiim with her entire body;

-Oshawatt hugging one of his legs, not letting him move it.

He could hear the commotion as his friends gathered all around. The trembling earth meant that Torterra was approaching too.

Ash let out a joy filled laugh. He managed to make the Unovan grass starter let go off him, and even had to resort to neck rubs on Bayleef to make her let him go. Oshawatt was fairly easier than the two overly affectionate grass types, only needing a headpat and a quick promise that Ash would play with him by the artificial pound. A fact he was very quick to be reminded off by a eager Squirtle. Totodile did his part too, jumping and skipping in his usual cute and dumb way.

The teen spotted the others around, slowly making their way towards him. Sceptile and his "Too cool for school" attitude were always amusing to see, as were Infernape's calm and collected warrior vibe. He was about to call the duo over, but before that happened, vines appeared before him. The two green plants wrapped around his remaining hand as if to simbolize a handshake. He answered by holding tight the vines and shaking them up and down, as if he had just struck a big deal. Another loud noise, this time slower and heavier than what most pokemon. Even the ever so glutonous Snorlax had come.

He enjoyed the group hug, a tradition they had. At times like this they would catch up and introduce the newer family members into the group.

Ash got all the pokeballs and let out those who had been his partner this journey. Only three flashes of light happened, which surprised the group. Normally there would be a full team, six or seven were expected.

Noivern, the most intimidating of the bunch, was the first to look for Ash. Finding him buried under unknown pokemon immediately set danger alerts into the dragon-type. He was about to unleash a rather destructive Boom Burst, however.

"Noivern, Stand down!" The order was given, the order was done. Father-Ash was always right, so while Noivern wanted nothing more than to have these strangers off Father-Ash, he complied. "Good boy!" Noivern perked up. Father-Ash had complimented him!

"Hey guys. How you all doing?" He asked the Kalos team. Halucha flexed his muscles, doing his usual presentation. Talonflame had stayed quiet, only observing the surrounding pokemon. The avian came to a quick conclusion. What monsters! Only Greninja, the second strongest pokemon from the Kalos team, would be able to spar against some of the pokemons here and have a minimal chance. When Pikachu said that Ash truly was playing fair for the Conference, he wasn't kidding.

The fire bird also felt something strong roaming the skies. A powerful flame, someone that not even full Kalos team could defeat, even when fighting together. With both Greninja and Goodra absent, they had to play good, less they be defeated under the overwhelming power that these other mons emitted.

-One of the confident Green Forest Hunter (Sceptile) that Greninja had battled, except this one dwarfed the young one they had met. While the young one needed his trainer and the power stone to activate his dragon powers, this one in front of him felt as if surrounded in a thick aura of Grass and Dragon-type energy.

-A Fire Ape(Infernape). Talonflame had heard countless stories of the fighting prowess of the Fire Apes, even before he met Ash.

To list them all out be foolish. Even those who had not reached their peak in evolution emitted a powerful energy. Talonflame's sharp eyes focused on the other flying birds and knew that while he was strong, he would still lose in a match against them. Hawlucha had already gotten in their middle, talking without a care in the world.

"These guys here have been my friends accompanying me through Kalos." The newcomers displayed their friendliness to the more experienced and elders. Their response was the same, a friendly approach. "Guys, these here are all my friends from my journeys from before Kalos. Everybody, let's get along and catch up." Many cheers and happy cries, the older mon giving a warm welcome to the new members of the family.

Ash let them know each other. Hawlucha was getting along just fine with everyone, typical behavior. The trainer noticed that Talonflame had been quite unsettled. Being a powerful Flying type known for their bravery and ability, it must have been a hard hit seeing his seniors were much stronger than him. He let the avian to its' own business.

As he looked around the field, he still hadn't found the figure of one old friend. Smirking at the rather playful behavior for a so serious pokemon, Ash looked at the sky. A few flying pokemon, nothing too special. Except the black blur that was still in the sky, poweful wings keeping the heavy body of his strongest pokemon airborne.

The smirk in his face attracted the atention of the Kalos team. They all looked up, eager to know what their trainer-friend was looking at.

"Charizard," Ash's tone flickered from easy-going to battle tested. **"Down!"**

A loud roar rippled the skies, scaring the smaller Flying-types away. The older pokemon didn't seem to care for the shout, but the newcomers felt the power difference. If Alain's Charizard had been a great obstacle, the monster that descended upon them might as well be a imovable montain.

_***Swwwwoooooshhhhh***_

The heavy weight slammed on the ground, bringing a cloud of dust with it. The strong wind kept the Kalos team from opening their eyes. When it settled, the flyers looked at the behemoth in from of them.

A gout of flame was spat skywards, the roar of the Fire\Flying dragon enough to command respect. Pikachu's squeaking complaints were heard, the rodent making sure that the flame pokemon was being lectured. Not that Charizard seemed to be paying attention to the electric mouse's complaints, if the yawning maw was anything to go by.

Ash approached the flying flamer, his hands massasing under the neck of the orange menace. A deep rumble emerged from the depths of the fire lizard, the beast closing its' eyes as he enjoyed his friend's touch. "Missed me much?"

Charizard snorted, his nostrils emitting smoke. Soon enough, the trainer was once more surrounded by his companions, many nudging and pushing themselves under his hands, yearning for the soothing touch only their trainer could provide.

"I know, I know. Gather everything you can, we are partying it up tonight!" Many cheers broke out from the crowd of pokemon. "We will party until all of us drop!" More cheers, the area around them quaking lightly. The flyers took to the sky with a single, practiced flap of their wings, shooting to the forest in high speeds. The herd of Taurus mooed and bellowed, going for their usual run. Ash approached the small, green saurian and gave it a headpat. "Mind watching over them, boy?" An affirmative nod and Bulbasaur was gone, using his vines to latch unto one of the Taurus.

"Infernape, Bayleef," The called pokemon perked up. "We're going to a local shop get some provisions, wanna come with me?" The fire simian flanked Ash, covering his back. Bayleef rushed to his side, neck vines tangling around his left arm, as if to establish dominance. Ash laughed. "Sceptile, Torterra, Leavanny and Buizel, gather some forest fruits and berries for us, okay?" The green hunter shifted his twig around his mouth and nodded, powerful legs carrying him, the pokemon seemingly unaffected by his extra weight as the sea weasel rode his shoulders. The continent pokemon let out a rumble of his own, making his way to the forest at his own pace. He also had the Insect type hanging from his large tree.

The others also dispersed on their own, hurrying to find something to help the party with. Kalos team felt a bit lost under the sudden and new enviroment. The only one that hadn't left was Charizard. The orange dragonoid lightly huffed and motioned for the team to follow the trainer. He was waiting for them by the corral's exit gate. "Thought you guys had decided to stay and relax." His statement was answered with the following: A Hawlucha flexing his muscles, showing his usual vitality; Talonflame perched on his right shoulder, mindful to avoid angering the Grass-type currently attached to their trainer. Noivern took to the sky, easily following the group as he maintained a easy flight over them.

Ash closed one of his eyes, smile tugging at his lips. He didn't even need to look backwards to feel the heat and presence Charizard emitted. "Come on then!"

* * *

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE!" The clerk, a grown uncle with a trimmed mustache and a potbelly waved to Ash from the entry of his simple shop. The man had tears coming out of his eyes, his hands tightly holding the high value pokedollars Ash had paid for the wares he bought.

Ash waved back. He walked calmly through the town. Pallet had had its' fifteen minutes of fame whenever their "Prodigees" appeared in important events, which led to a few new habitants. Some greeted him, others looked awed as he walked with the powerful pokemon behind him. Infernape was holding a few heavy looking bags, Bayleef had some lighter ones drapped over her body and Hawlucha held a big cardboard box. Ash himself was carrying some bags as he walked the Town towards the lab once more.

Some kids were playing around, many starring star-eyed at his pals. They pointed to his buddies, many fingers pointed at Charizard. Pikachu also had many pointed his way, the rodent avoiding eye contact with them. Kids didn't hold back their curiosity, and many had a habit of pulling on his lightning shaped tail. No self respecting Pikachu allowed such an offense, but Pi was a forgiving mon, so he preferred to avoid contact altogether. The parents watching their kids waved to him, some hoping that he approached, but Ash pointed to his watch, motioning that he was out of time. Many whining kids were the result.

A few novice trainers also appeared, some even daring to challenge him. They also took one good look at Charizard and decided to "spare" Ash from his eminent demise. He laughed away, thanking them for their "kindness". Pikachu sweat-dropped, watching the kids run. One had even brought out his Rattata, only for the purple rodent to immediately pretend it was dead, a few leg twitches added in for good measure.

The group made their way back to the corral, a few coolers already separated and opened. Bulbasaur was bringing pile of berries with him, Heracross just behind the green saurian.

Depositing the bought goods that needed storing inside the provided coolers, the teen separated what was going for who. His flyers seemed to have relaxed somewhat. Bayleef left him, rushing somewhere in her boundless energy. Infernape was helping him separate the groceries while talking with Talonflame and Hawlucha. Noivern opted for some shade, hanging upside-down from a tree a few metes away, looking exactly like a Zubat, except that he was a 85kg dragon bat instead of a tiny cave dweller.

The shierking noise high in the skies signified that the flying team was back. The first ones to descend were Staraptor and Swellow, carrying more berries and a few terrified looking Caterpie.

"Put the berries over on the pile there. As to the Caterpie," Ash popped a Oran berry in his mouth, "It's your prey, your decision." If birds beaks could smile, the birds of prey would have full blown grins. As it was, the Insect-types were left trembling as they dangled from the sharp talons of their predadors.

"Glalie! Some ice over here please!" The floating rock approached and with a quick display of his abilities, the cooler full of beverages was encased in a thin layer of ice. Ash patted the mon, a weird gurgle of hapiness sounding over.

"Now we just need to wait for the others and the professor." The teen wiped a few flecks of sweat from his forehead. He also sniffed his shirt. _Time for a bath, now!_

He looked at the returning mons. _Or, we could..._

* * *

"Ahhh, this is heaven~" Ash groaned, soaking inside the quickly built "Hot spring". Nothing too fancy really. Donphan's Rollout to dig, Torterra's weight to flatten the soil and Totodile's hydro pump to carve a path from the nearby pond to the square hole dug. To heat the water was the easiest part, Charizard's mere body heat enought to make the water a warm bath, not truly hot to scald the skin, just enought to relax the muscles.

Everybody was back already, many jumping right in the water. Others opted to enjoy closeby, already digging into the treats he had brought. The floating Squirtle wearing shades and drinking juice a proof of that.

"I see you already made yourself comfortable, Ash!" Samuel was walking their way, finally wearing something that wasn't his Professor labcoat. In fact, the summer-like fashion was a new sight, seeing old Samuel in shorts, flip-flops and a flower-themed shirt. As he reached Ash, the teen grabbed the nearby cooler and pulled a few cans, cracking one open with a loud _~hhhhhiiiiiiissssssssss~._

The elder Oak swallowed dry, a lump stuck in his throat as he looked at the chilled can.

"Have a seat Professor!" Ash offered the can. Samual wouldn't be tempted.

He would resist. His hand wasn't reaching for the can. No, you shut up, he was-...

_***Grab***_

_***Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp***_

"YEAAAWWW, How much I missed this!" Ash laughed hard, seeing the usually calm and collected professor let loose and down half a can of beer that fast. He grabbed one for himself, opening it and taking a long drink.

Hawlucha brought over a foldable chair for Samuel and went back to the pond, backstroke swimming. Oak sat down close to where Ash was, the small height difference ignored as they clicked the cans, enjoying the fair weather.

"I thought that we were supposed to meet later in the day, what brought the change?" The trainer asked.

"Daisy." Prof. Oak left it at that. Ash nodded, knowing how fierce the girl? could be. _She is the older one, right? _Calling her a woman, while true, didn't exactly match the image he had of her.

"Well, I bought lunch and we have a few coolers to go through. Professor Oak is out of comission due to unforseen circunstances, but my great friend Samuel Oak can drink without worrying about work, right?" The elder caught on quickly.

"But of course! The Professor is out for now, but I, Samuel Oak, have plenty of time for a relaxing drink with an old pal! HAHAHAHA!" Both laughed out loud.

"Get ready kiddo, I'll drink you under the table today."

* * *

**Later.**

**Night Time, Pallet Town's Outskirts.**

**Oak Family Residence.**

"Grampa, you are reeking of booze!" Daisy complained, coming from the living room after hearing the noise of the front door opening.

"Oh granddaughter, Grampa just followed your advice and went to relax! Here, give your greetings to Ash." The coarse and slightly slurred voice from the elder Oak gave away the type of relaxing he had been doing. _Wait, Ash?!_

The teen was lending his shoulder to the older man, both having flushed cheeks. Samuel was deposited on the couch, relaxing as he leaned against the soft leather.

"Going to drink me under the table, huh?" Althought presenting clear signs of alcohol ingestion, Ash seemed to be mostly fine. "Heya, Daisy." He waved at her as she came to cheek the older Oak.

"You guys really went at it, didn't you?" Her voice came nasalled, as she had pinched her nose to avoid the strong smell of alcohol coming from the sleeping man. Her eyes settled on the younger man. He blinked, a tiny smile fixed on his lips. _Yeah, you are more than tipsy, alright!_

"Well, I just came to drop Professor by. Good night Daisy." He exited the house. Daisy stayed by the door, seeing him off. _Little Ash became a big boy, huh? Gary is going to flip when he sees this_. She looked at the sleeping man on the couch and laghed lightly. _Finally beaten by the younger generation eh, old timer._

* * *

**Morning hours.**

**Ketchum Residence**

Ash sat by the kitchen table, sipping on some coffee. Pikachu was over his shoulder, utterly sapped of any energy. Spending the night over on the breeding area of the the lab did that to a pokemon.

Delia was happily zipping over the house. Already having bought the tickets for Alola, the woman was in cloud nine, having her son home and safe from the world, even if only for now. She was so happy that staying still was impossible for her right now. She was so anxious and happy that both her and Ash's traveling bags were already done. She was aware she had some selfishness in her, seeing as he had just arrived home and wanted to spend some time with his pokemon. However, she had also missed her baby boy so much.

The trainer let the flow take him, allowing her to buy the tickets for the ferry boat that would take them to Alola. Melemele Island to be exact, seeing as the islands that made up Alola weren't really united under a banner. Hell, they didn't have neither Champion or even a stron connection to the Pokemon League. That made it the perfect place for vacations, and for him to lay low for a while. Lance had really been a pain in the ass, trying to contact with him.

The trainer understood it was the Kanto Champion's job to make sure there were no threats to the Region. However, that didn't meant that Ash had to comply with the Dragon Master's every wish. Besides, while the League could talk beautiful politics, when it came to threats, if it didn't directy attack the headquarters, the League was somewhat slow to respond.

Short on staff? As if such an excuse would work!

_Forget it for now! Vacation! You came home and are going to Alola for vacation!_

The raven haired teen finished his coffee and stood up. Better hurry up and leave. With his G-man around, skulking like a bunch of Gastly, maybe Wataru already had news that Ash was back in Kanto. He thanked Arceus that his mother was in such a hurry too.

"Pi, do me a favor please." Ears perked, Pikachu squeaked. "You already know the drill. Give my apologies to everyone and tell then that they can enjoy the rest of the treats and drinks. Come back quick, we need to book it." The Kalos flyers already had some knowledge of the his predicament, so they ccould explain it better to the others.

Pikachu quickly made his way out the house and over to the lab.

"Mimey!" The Fairy poked its head from the backwindow of the kitchen. "Grab your stuff if you're going to bring anything. Carry mom's stuff too and be ready." A firm nod from the pokemon. The teen made his way to his room and found his bag over on the bed. It wasn't his trainer's traveling backpack, but it would do for now.

His Pokedex blipped, he was being called. _Great, wonderful, really!_

"Mom, your stuff packed?" He shouted, receiving a positive answer. "Good! Now, our ride should be here by-..." The draconic roar made the trainer let out a relieved sigh.

He grabbed the bag and his wallet, making sure his Trainer I.D and Bank card were safe and sound. His current clothes, while not bad (simple blue pants and a black tank-top),certainly could be better. _Eh, it's okay._

Down stairs, Delia looked ready to travel, Mimey just behind her carrying her bags. He looked outside, seeing both Charizard and Pikachu waiting for them.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, his mother not noticing it in favor of exitting the house, and they were covered for just a second with a blue flare.

_Mind using Teleport to give Mimey a lift to Cerulean? You know I'd prefer to travel by normal means, but-..._

**[Worry not, friend. The major port, right?]**

_You know it!_

"Ash dear, Mimey dissapeared!"

"Yeah, I asked a friend to give him a lift. But, since we still have some leasure before boarding time, I decided to take us to Cerulean port." Ash handed Charizard his bag as he mounted him. He took it back and fixed its position, as to give area for his mother to hold onto him. Delia sighed, thinking this was her son's usual antics.

Charizard opened his wings and with one quick burst, he was airborne. Both Ketchums were safe, Pikachu too, tucked inside the toasty bag Ash held.

* * *

"He left, sir."

"I can see that!" Even riding his fastest Dragonite, Cloudskipper, Lance had arrived late to talk with the troublesome boy. _The League needs his power, but tying him down has been impossible! If he just stopped and let me explain. Orre has been pushing far too much, and the Orange Islands need their Champion, They can't call him and bind him to the throne since when he won they weren't important for the League, thus not officially crowing him._

_The Orange Islands need a king to rule over, Orre needs someone to keep them behaving, the Ranger Union has been insistent in making him Head Ranger. Dangerous S-class incidents have been stopped that kid, yet the League still insists that they have priority in negotiations. The little punk is good at running._

_The League's patience is thinning Ketchum. Please, don't give them a reason for another war!_

The Kanto champion looked at the paper sheet once more:

**Trainer: Ash Ketchum**

**Age: 17**

**Trainer Rank: Experienced Senior. +Military-grade rank: First Leautenant Officer**

**Achivements:**

**-Has been sighted near Every major incident with correlation towards S-class pokemon.**

**-Orange Islands current champion.**

**-Has personal connections with various High-rank League staff.**

**-Sponsored under Professor Samuel Oak.**

**-Rumored Aura Guardian, has backing from Rota and Togepi Kingdoms.**

**-Active participation in defeating Team Rocket's main fighting force, including its Leader.**

**-Recorded to have participated in all Major League Conferences, and visited all current Regions under the League.**

**An experienced survivalist-type trainer, records show high physical prowess and fighting capabilities, combined with unconventional tactics focused on terrain-control. Resources should be pooled to include trainer into League Exclusive connection. Is known to have worked together with multiple factions on many ocasions, aiding damage control and proving to be too valuable an asset to be left for other factions. High chance of being in possetion of valuable information on Legendary class pokemon.**

* * *

Au notes: Spicy, right?


	2. Chapter 2

The breeze of the ocean was soothing upon his skin, almost enough for him to yawn. As Ash leaned agaisnt the railing of the Ferry-boat, he appreciated the setting sun. The five day trip was due tomorrow, when they would reach Melemele Island, and the tranquility of it was a bit jarring for him.

Ash could complain all he wanted about the universe throwing curve balls at him, but in the end he'd always enjoy the challenge that was bound to come following such moments. He looked up, seeing the crow-nest, and smiled a bit. Charizard decided to accompany them at least until they reached mainland, the trainer not really being able to dissuade the worries of the flying flame lizard. The Fire-type had been taking care of guard watch, ensuring that in the rare chance of the boat meeting a agressive wild mon, it would stay away from the boat.

Normally the captain's own pokemon would take the shift, but Ash asked for Charizard to cover it. So far no incident had happened, so the captain had been overjoyed. It was usual to see at least one or two attacks happening, a wild pokemon thinking it had stumbled upon a full course meal. When none came to bother the boat four days in the journey, the captain of the _"Mighty Kingdra"_ was overjoyous, going so far as to offer a job for Ash as a permanent spotter.

He laughed to himself at the comical face the captain made when he was rejected. _Vacations, sorry._

The trainer digged into his baggy short's pocket for a few seconds. He looked around him to make sure neither Pikachu nor his mother were close before he pulled out a cigarrete pack. One of the few "bad" habits Ash had picked on Kalos was of hitting the smoke when nothing was going on. He, by nature, was a action-oriented teen and all the peace and quiet was hitting a nerve with him. Not that Ash wanted conflict, but a little event would be appreciated.

He put the cancer stick on his lips and dug into his pocket to get a lighter. He lit the cigarrete, taking a slow drag and filling his lungs with smoke before slowly letting it out. An annoyed squeak came from the corner, his yellow partner complaining about the habit. Ash gave a slight head bow, but otherwise continued smoking. It helped him relax.

Pikachu shook his head sideways, making his way over to the shoulder farther from the smoke trail. The rodent nuzzled into Ash, making some static to call the trainer's attention. His objective complete, the mon pointed to the crow-nest, where Charizard's tail lightened the surroundings.

"Sure, let's see the big guy." Ash stored the pack and lighter into his pockets, walking towards the stairs that would take him to the top. On his way, many waved or nodded to him, the teen giving aknowledgement of his own. Tourists came in all times to Alola, so even during the "weak" season, there were many faces from different Regions. A few came to talk to him, many recognizing him from his recent stunt in Kalos.

He had to dodge a few, excuses such as "I just really look like that Ketchum fellow", or "I take inspirations from him" were just get-out cards, seeing as if he confirmed his identity, the League would be on his neck in a day or two.

A trainer with black hair a Pikachu on his shoulders, while oddly specific, wasn't that uncommon.

Ash Ketchum, however, was a whole other story.

Ash finished his ciggar, throwing the butt-end into a close by bin, and headed into the crow-nest. Charizard looked up from his curled position, cracking open one lazy eye to confirm his trainer's presence, before closing it again and huffing out some smoke out of his nostrils. The trainer laughed at the behavior, pulling another cancer stick and using the conveniently lit tail to light it. Pikachu complained once more, using his paws and tail to beat Ash over the head.

Charizard wasn't really bothered by the smoke; in fact, the fire lizard was glad his trainer had picket on the habit, seeing as that made him closer to the fire-type. Ash sat down and leaned against the warm scales of the dragon's powerful body and relaxed against the body heat.

"Heya, Char char." Ash called teasingly. The response was only a light movement of the reptilian's wing coupled with another smoky huff. Pikachu called out to both, pissed off at the "smoke-stackers". Ash simply let out his own smoke-filled breath, the rodent emitting into a dangerously high pitched noise. "Watch out, watch out! Can't piss Pikachu off! He spent all morning getting his fur into prime condition. You bet he has a few young-ones out there, what'cha think Char?"

A soft growl let his throat and a smirk settled into the lizard's maw. Pikachu waved off the teasing, making a posse as if to say, _"Can't help I'm so good with the ladies!"._ Ash scratched under the rodent's chin, the mouse letting out a pleased noise. Another smug expression became fixated on Pikachu's face as the mon pointed at Ash and did a few gestures, some not entirely decent. _"You could get lucky, not like there was much in your way."_

Ash scoffed. "You know it doesn't work like that!" A pause for another exhale of smoky air. "I was focused on other things, and it was not like I could simply stuff it in the girls with everyone around. Pretty embarrassing to wake the camp if I pulled some moves. It's not like I could pull a _'Pikachu'_ and duck into some bushes for half-hour and come back like nothing happened."

Pikachu tried to make another point, but Ash cut him.

"In Kanto, Brock was with us 24/7, right next to our sleeping bags. Misty was not the silency-type when talking, imagine it during the deed. We had a few chances during the Orange Islands, but Tracey hopped along right up and someone," Ash patted the Orange scales of Charizard, "was having an emo phase. Johto was the same as Kanto; In Hoenn, the crew became bigger with May and Max, and I wasn't about to nail his sister with him so close by, just one call away from Norman. I still like my balls where they are Pi, I was kinda hopping to have them for a long while."

The yellow mon was short of arguments. The other journeys had also something to add on to his trainer's plate. Sinnoh had been a bag full of trouble, that with meeting the Literal God, Arceus, and dealing with Team Plasma, there was little time to diddle with Dawn. Besides, the bluenette was something of a begginer with everything related to traveling and pokemon, so helping her getting her bearings was the priority instead, not bedding the girl.

Unova...

Well, we don't really talk about Unova. Iris was alright, but her constant nagging and patronizying of him was really annoying. Added on that was Cilan and his..._flamboyant_ tendencies, and mustering any libido was definitifely not a high priority in Unova.

Kalos had also been like that, Clemont and Bonnie being nice companions, but their adition to the group meant he had to cut short any intention on more mature interactions with Serena. Her farewell kiss was a reminder of his stressful situation.

These vacations were a blessing, where he could kick back and relax, not having to deal with anything like that for a while.

Ash patted Pikachu on the head and finished his second smoke. "A little help here Pi? Mom doesn't really like the smell too." The rodent shook his head sideways, the patronizying type, before he waved his tail around, building some electricity around it. Soon the smoke-filled air was cut by the sharp smell of ozone.

* * *

The following day came fast. The tourists were just like angry Beedrill, buzzing about and anxious to get into land. Melemele could alredy be seen, the boat not having any bothersome stops due to wild attacks. Ash came to the deck, his mother just behind him.

He was dressed in simple blue beach shorts and his usual hat, Pikachu as always hitching a ride on his shoulder. Delia was dressed in a bikini, many men oggling at her toned body. For a housewife, Delia was extremely fit. Not that he was losing in the body department, seeing as his seven years uninterrupted travels gave himm a physic that attracted many glances from some of the females.

Many small scars littered a few places, proof of his travels and preferred pokemon training method, hands-on the job. He wondered if he should scare away the inevitable annoyances that would follow up whenever his mother decided to dress up, but the woman herself decided to cut short the trouble. She latched into his free arm, careful that they were simply linking arms. Enough to dissuade any pushy idiot.

"Shall we enjoy the day, Mister Trainer?" She teased him. He returned a smirk of his own.

"By all means, please."

The boat soon reached the dock, Mimey coming out of his mother's cabin with her luggage. As the docking finished and the passengers were freed to climb out, the Ketchums made their way into the local inn. Of course Ash could use the local Pokemon center, his license would get him top rooms, but he hoped to lay low and that meant not using his trainer I.D.

The international bank guaranteed his privacy when it came to his location, so there was no money problem for him. League related facilities, however, were out of the equation for now.

* * *

Their luggage properly stored away, the family went to enjoy the day at the beach. Delia was beyond delighted when she found a nice, shaded spot to relax, sun-bathe, read a nice book and drink some pina collada. The tropical trend of the place was relaxing and animated, local music played constantly by various stalls hoping to attract customers.

Ash sat by her side, also sporting a drink, and watched the rush as many people made themselves comfortable on the sand. Pikachu was lazying about, curled into a ball over the towel extended for him atop the sand and under a parasol. The atmosphere of Alola was one of fun all around.

There were some stalls close to the water, many tourists chatting close by it.

"Mom." She merely dropped her sunshades, trying to do a cool look. "Pikachu and I are going to look for something cool to do, you'll be fine?" He glanced around, trying to find Mimey. The pyschic was close, lying under a parasol. Close to him was a cooler full of icecreams, the fairy-type already enjoying one. Not much in the department of personal protection.

"Go on darling, Me and Mimey will be fine. Go have some fun, you deserve it!" Ash looked over them for a few seconds before he knelt down to grab his bag. He took a worn looking pokeball and a few bills in cash. He dropped the pokeball in Delia's hand, making the woman look up to him.

"If you need it, just in case." He said, turning to leave. Charizard decided to stay for a while, grumbling and huffing smoke. Ash wanted to release his partner, but one thing was letting the dragon out in the boat; it was a completely different story if he let the draconic lizard out in a public beach like that.

***Release***

Immediately, Delia had pressed the release trigger, allowing the orange dragon out. A wave of heat washed over them and anything in a 50 meter radius. Many curious onlookers wanted to know what had done that, many regretting their curiosity as they found the draconic menace looking curiously over them.

"MOM!"

"Oh shush now! What is the matter? Let Charizard stretch his wings and relax too!" She chastisided him, not paying atention to the onlookers and the currently Officer Jenny running their way. He could get charged if the Jenny decided that letting out Charizard like that was dangerous, especially in a populated zone like this.

He sighed, looking squint-eyed to the dragon in question. Charizard merely curled into the spot, hopping to avoid any fallout coming his way. Delia looked around, feeling a bit ashamed by the many onlookers.

"What in bloody Distortion do you think you are doing?! Letting out a A-Class pokemon like that! What if it had-" Ash tunned out the string of harshly spoken words, looking over to the stands for something to entertain himself. As he found a sign with "Sharpedo Rush!", he made to walk that way. Unfortunately, the Jenny tagged him as the trainer, seeing Pikachu on his shoulders.

"YOU! What type of trainer-"

"**Officer.**" His tone changed from easy-going to serious in an instant. "My mother and I are on vacations over here. She doesn't know Pokemon related laws when dealing with high crowds, seeing as she is a civilian. I allowed the release of my pokemon and can assure you that Charizard won't misbehave. His training is top notch. There will not be any incident, stand at ease." The woman blinked when she realized she had saluted him, almost as if talking to a high ranking officer. She looked conflited, seeing such a powerful pokemon just appear like that.

There were many regulations when it came to dealing with pokemon inside cities and highly populated areas. Especially if they belonged to B-class and above.

Charizard was classified as a A-class pokemon, which meant that he was undoubtely powerful, and could have a temper. For someone who didn't look important to just release such a monster close to civilians, that could have gone rather badly.

Ash supressed a groan. He went back to his bag and pulled his trainer's I.D. Jenny's eyes read the paper and she paled. Shouting at someone of high-rank could have her demoted for insubordination. Staining the name of the Jenny clan was something that could not happen. She prepared to apologize in her knees when the teen in front of her waved his hands.

"Don't worry about it, it was my fault for not warning mom beforehand. We'll be more careful from now on, so plese let me slide this one?" He said with an eased tone. The Jenny, eyes already polling with tears, nodded rather fiercely. "Great! I'm sorry to disturb your job ma'am so please let me make it up for you."

"N-no don't w-worry about it. I should have been more undestanding before simply yelling your way." Both gave a timed head bow. Ash waved goodbye at the Jenny as she made her way into one of the stalls, instantly sitting over a stool and slumping over the balcon.

The trainer sighed and looked at his mother.

"I'm sorry?"

* * *

Ash enjoyed the rushing wind and water passing over as he sped away. Pikachu, safely holding on his shoulders, squeaked excitedly at their high speed. The duo was atop a Sharpedo, the Water/Dark type being the provider of the high speed fun they were having.

One of the attractions Ash found at the beach was this ride. There were other people around, many opting for the calmer Lapras ride. Ash understood that such adrenaline filled ride was not for those faint of heart, so he merely nodded at the Trasportation Pokemon, being reminded of his own friend. He didn't allow the melancholy get to him and proceeded to continue his fun.

"Let's go Sharpedo! Let's aim to brake any previous speed record there was before!" The shark pokemon snarled positively, speeding away to avoid disturbing the calmer waters alloted for Lapras ride.

There were some locals who also were enjoying Sharpedo runs, but none were confident they could follow the tanned trainer. He rode confidently, allowing Sharpedo to easily reach and maintain top speed as he followed every move the pokemon made. The waters were split apart, splashing and rising as a hypnotic rythm of wild moves were performed.

The owner of the Sharpedo Rush was staring at the trainer, eyes and mouth wide. Not even the locals attempted to ride Sharpedos in top speed for long, lest they either be thrown off or mess their position, ruining aerodinamics and losing speed. It was hard to bred and train Sharpedos to calm down and swin at reasonable rates; it was in their nature to rush out and swin the fastest they could. Their Dark-type enforced their agressive nature and made calming them all the more difficult.

Yet a foreign tourist was giving one of his fastest Sharpedos the time of its life, matching shark as no one else could. It was all kinds of impressive. It was ludicrous, and he'd likely not believe anyone that told him such a tale if he wasn't seeing it display right in front of him.

Ash, on his part, was just havving fun, allowing the earlier stress to dissipate. Later he would make sure that the Officer Jenny wouldn't alert the League of his presence here. Nothing dramatic for sure, he would merely call out to her and ask her not to mention it. He'd hate to have to pull rank on her, and honestly hoped to not have to do so.

As he continued his wild spins and moves, Ash was called by Pikachu. He looked at where the pokemon pointed and he felt the air shift. It was something quick and no one would really notice, but Ash was more _sensitive_ to abnormal events. He asked Sharpedo to slow down, the pokemon saddening at the prospect, but obeying the fun trainer. As they slowed to a more normal speed, Ash let his eyes roam and search for anything out of the norm.

The trainer closed his eyes and focused, his life-force calling his atention towards something. Melemele Island was calm and enjoyable, the ambience was wonderful and the people were friendly. Yet, there was something wrong with the aura of the place. It felt like it was rushing to stitch itself together, as if something had ripped the fabric of space, but realized the mistake and was doing some sort of patch job to fix it.

Aura Sight activated and even with his eyes closed, Ash could see. See the cracks in the aura of Space. _Something happened to Palkia?_

As he stopped pumping aura into his eyes, his vision returned to normal. Even so, now that he was aware of it, he could still see it. Thin, just like hair, lines atop the sky over the island. Something wasn't correct here.

***SWWWWWOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHH***

Pikachu's head snapped into the direction of the noise, Ash following just after him. They didn't capture anything within eye sight, but the lingering power could be felt. Ash could almost taste the electicity in the air. _A new creation of Arceus? He wouldn't create a new Legendary for nothing. Unknown species maybe? Or a legend I haven't heard of._

Ash shook his head. "Don't worry about it Pi! We came here for vacations, so let's enjoy the hell of out this vacation!" He announced with child-like joy, procceding to shout for the shark pokemon he was riding. "Come on Sharpedo! Let me see your real speed! Do you know Extreme Speed?" The Dark-type shook his head, excited for the prospect of gaining speed once more, but a bit dissapointed for not knowing such a speedy sounding move. Pikachu squeaked for the sharp, gaining its atention with a few sweet sounding words. The shark pokemon maliciously smirked at the idea, and waited a new command from the trainer of the yellow rodent.

"How about Agility?" A positive nod this time. "Great. Now let me thing about how we're doing this." Ash poundered for a few seconds, some ideas forming on his mind."Hey, you wouldn't happen to also know Aqua Jet, would you?" The Brutal Pokemon caught the idea quickly. Shining as he gathered energy for Agility, the shark was also focusing on the water surrounding him. Soon, the trio was covered in a watery veil as Sharpedo accelerated much to fast.

Speed bluring his sight, Ash and Pikachu held on tightly on the rough skin of the shark, laughing manniacaly, as the watery torpedo that was the group rushed closer to the beach. They kept far enough to not disturb anyone, but much closer to civilian eyes. Many were trapped by the sight of the trainer riding the shark, now doing flips and even wilder moves.

Fueled by adrenaline and wishing to not be bothered, Ash shouted excitedly. Pikachu chittered and followed him, shouting and gathering atention as they rode the Sharpedo, doing more and more stunts. Many awed looks stared at them, and that day the businesses working by the beach boomed with tourists, many wishing to see the expectacle that was happening there.

Soon, many tourists went to Sharpedo Rush, hoping to do the same thing. Many hoped that the trainer, whom they didn't know, was a native willing to teach or at least take them on such a fun looking ride. The owner looked a bit overwhealmed at his sudden new public, many tourists holding fat pokedollar bills that he definitifely wanted in his wallet. Many had already nicknamed him the ride "The King of the Seas".

_Oh how unknowningly right they were about that._

* * *

A body fell on the bed of the inn with an audible "Thump", the teen groaning pleasantly at the tired feeling his body had. How long had it been since he felt so carefree?

"Someone had fun today!" Delia entered the room, drying her hair with a towel. Her statement was answered with another groan, this time coming from the yellow rodent at the teen's side. The duo had spent much a relaxing and fun day, the mild annoyance during the Sharpedo rush forgotten in favor of his time spent enjoying himself.

"I'll let you boys relax. If you need me, I'll be in my room Ashy." She had used such an old nickname of his that he couldn't help but stare at her with eyebrows raised and retort. "What, you impersonating Gary know mom?"

She smiled and drapped the towel over her dainty shoulders. "Come on Ashy, it's such a cute nickname. I think it suits you rather perfectly!" The sweet way she said that made him close one eye, letting the other stay half-lidded. If only she knew that the yougner Oak only called him that way to berate him in their younger days. Now it was more of a tradition between them, but it felt weird being called something he hadn't heard in about five years.

Delia made her way out of his room and waved at him by the door before she exited it. Ash laid still in his bed for a few minutes, enjoying the softness of the mattress for a while. Eventually, his impatience won and he rose from it. Pikachu laid still, too tired to follow his trainer. He mumbled "Lazy furball" under his breath, but a few sparks of lightining told him that the rodent had heard him. He smirked.

The trainer left the soft comfort of his bed and headed to a window. He searched his pockets for the pack of cigarets, and took one of the cancer sticks, lighting it up and taking a deep breath. Smoke filled his lungs as he leaned on the window, letting the smoke flow outside his room in favor of not disturbing his partner.

He pondered a while, considering what to do the following day. Repeating the day's activities would take the fun out of it, so he wanted to opt for something different. Exploring the island sounded nice, maybe he could strike up some friendship with the local pokemon. Alola had its' fair share of unique pokemon, so he felt compeled to adventure. Old habits die hard, seeing as he almost reached for his belt, not unlike he was about to pull out a pokeball to try and capture a new partner.

He chuckled, remembering that Alola didn't had a official League, hence why he chose the place for vacations in first place. The trainer took another puff of his cigarette, wondering what he was to do. For now, he secured the cancer stick in his lips, using his hands as support to jump off the window. Bendind his knees to absorb the impact, he walked over the soft sand, going to the closeby Pokemon Center. He left Charizard there to rest and do a check-up, seeing as he would let the draconian fire lizard go home. The Fire-type already had done enough in escorting and staying with them. Besides, the teen bet that Charizard was already missing Charla, his female companion.

Yeah, Charizard wasn't Ash's strongest pokemon as a joke. He had become the leader of Charicific Valley, proving to be the currently strongest Charizard there. Being able to face a Entei wasn't something your run of the mill Charizard could do, so the alpha position had been his for the taking.

Ash once more smirked, imagining how Charizard'd have challenged just about every oponent after they stopped the Unown, back when he was about 11. _Fun times!_

He reached the center quite fast, the center of the city shining with light. Even during the high hours of the night, the tourists were still out, seeking amusement and fun that Melemele Island could provide. There was music playing, a more casual beat, befitting of the time. Hula-hula and fire dancers presented their shows, combining efforts with local pokemon to appear even more intertaining. There were matching birds, their color their only difference, that were dancing together. It was impressive, seeing all these different and unknown pokemon made Ash want to pull out a pokedex and research them.

He felt his mouth water at the prospect of battling, or even simply meeting and getting to know these pokemon, but he controled himself and focused on his objective. As he passed by a clearing, oddly like a battle arena, he spotted a powerful looking man. He was dressed like a local, had a deep tanned skin and a weird bracelet on his wrist. The locals were very respectful of him, and tourists hardly approached him, so being cautious, Ash followed their example and stayed clear off the man.

The trainer spotted the Pokemon Center and quickened his step towards it, finishing his smoke and throwing the butt of the ciggar into the nearby trash bin. He felt eyes settle into his back, and ever his discreetly, the teen looked over his right shoulder. The tanned man, appearently a "Kahuna" (if he heard correctly the nearby questioning tourists), was staring straight at him. Ash ignored the look, continuing to make his way into the Center.

"Good Evening! Pokemon Center, how may we help you?" The pink haired woman manning the counter asked, her voice a perfectly business-like tone.

"Uh, yeah, good evening. I left my pokemon here earlier for some rest; came to pick him up." He answered, pulling the receipt he received earlier. He hadn't given them his Trainer I.D, so he had to pay up in cash. At least they didn't question him about his ownership of a Class-A pokemon. People in Alola were either careless, or too free-spirited; both very convenient for the trainer in his current predicament.

"Of course, right this way sir!" She smiled and signed for him to follow her. They walked into a near room, the double doors parting to reveal a sauna-like space, where lots of Fire-types were relaxing. It was the dry type of sauna, so there were no cranky pokemon inside. He immediately spotted Charizard, the dragon being the biggest pokemon there. The girl stayed by the door, smart, considering the typing of the pokemon inside the room, hence a rather high temperature.

"Heya, big guy!" Ash called the atention of his mon, the fire lizard looking at him with lazy eyes. A small gout of flame exited his mouth, Charizard lifting himself from his curled position and slowly stomped his way towards Ash. The other fire-types didn't stood in his way, none willing to piss off the stronger mon.

The trainer pat the dragon on the belly, the scales truly warm to the touch. Charizard merely continued his way out, yawning and showing the pearly white fangs inside his maw. As trainer and pokemon left the sauna, the pinkette following behind them, their way was stopped by a rather familiar looking man.

Ash double checked, making sure that the man in front of him was not Professor Oak. He looked a lot like him, but there were subtle differennces between the two men. The eyes were the most obvious, whereas Prof. Oak had experienced and firm eyes, this man had warm and innocent eyes. The hair-do was also a sure difference.

"Oh, hello there! That's a fine and strong lookin' pokemon there fella!" The man exclaimed,approaching them with a quick step. Charizard eyed the newcomer, rapidly deciding the man was no threat to his trainer but still, the fire dragon kept his guard up.

"He enjoys the compliments, don't let the grumpy face throw you off." Ash joked, pointing to the fire type. The man closed in, circling the duo and nodding to himself a few times.

"It sure looks like that! I haven't seen many pokemon exude such lifeforce and aura, he could easily pass any island challenge. Say, young trainer, you wouldn't by any chance be someone that Professor Kukui called over, would you?" The question was a direct one for sure. Ash immediately shook his head sideways.

"Not looking for any battles right now. I'm here for vacantions, so don't worry about any challeges, I don't plan on anything like that."

The man still eyed both Ash and Charizard. The Fire-type was getting annoyed at the intrusive newcomer, and huffed smoke from his nostrils, showing his annoyance. The man backed off, seeing that he was upsetting a dangerous pokemon.

"Sorry 'bout that, many peepy teens haven been being a bother over Malie City. That kind of disburbance gets in the way of my research, so I hope you get my point. Hahahaha!" The man raised his arms and showed his hands, before booming a sort of weird laughter. Ash pursed his lips, hoping to get away from the weird man.

"Yeah, I understand. A friend on mine also complains alot about having his researches interrupted, but in his case the circumstances are different. Well, hope you have a good night sir!" The man moved and followed the duo of trainer and pokemon outside the Center.

The nurse on the side merely sighed, feeling completely ignored.

Ash, outside of the Center, moved to one of the bigger stalls. Many tourists eyes him, the big fire lizard behind him a good attention grabber. The following man also was a factor in that.

"What are you here for, young man? As I can see, you're quite an acomplished trainer, to have such a powerful pokemon follow you around so obediently. Normally, such agressive and powerful pokemon tend to avoid crowds, yet your Charizard seems to be just fine." The man continued following them, making statements as Ash sat on the nearby stool.

There was a man occuping the counter. He approached Ash and presented a colorful menu. Ash thanked the bartender, eyes skimming over the menu for a instant. Charizard settled by his side, eyeing the Aspear Berries exposed in a glass container. The duo hoped that the tanned man would leave them alone, their wish not granted as he sat on a stool at Ash's left and signed to the bartender. A few moments later, the bartender came back with a bottle holding a murky, browinish liquid. He settled the bottle between the two men, putting two cups over.

Ash sighed. He pointed to the glass container with the bitter Berries and towards his pokemon. The bartender raised his eyebrows, but Ash nodded and pulled out his wallet, settling some bills over the counter. Immediately, the container was set in front of Charizerd, the lizard thanking his trainer with a nod, before he picket a few Berries and put them in his maw, a soft glow lit inside of it as the mon softened the berries under the heat, before eating them.

"You're awfully talkative for someone that seemed rather annoyed at my presence here, sir..." He let the question hang on the air to see if the man would take it.

"Samson. Professor Samson. Researching Kanto-Alola variants." The professor took the bottle and filled both cups, offering one to the trainer.

"_Right..._Professor Samson. As I stated before, I'm only here for vacations. Nothing more, nothing less." Ash spoke calmly, not taking his cup, but waiting the bartender to come back. Said bartender was "busy" chatting up with a tourist, a blonde woman. The trainer sighed, scratching the back of his neck, a habit of his when stressed or embarassed. Charizard seemed content with his berries, some passing people looking and enjoying the show the Fire lizard was putting on.

The professor hummed, nursing his now empty cup. "When Ricardo starts talking with a beauty like that one he takes his time. If you're waiting to order, I suggest you take a sip with me." Samon pointed to the cup he had set in front of Ash. The teen raised his brow. _Can't this guy take a hint?_

Ash huffed, feeling his annoyance build up. He stood up and coughed once, making Charizard look at him. One nod and both left the bar. The professor stayed in his place, feeling rather miffed by the sharp attitude of the teen. That had been a first for sure; people usually would give anything they had to talk with a professor, even if only for a few minutes. Being in the good side of a Professor would be extremely beneficial for any trainer worth their badges. For him to be brushed aside meant that he was talking either with a fool or a veteran trainer backed by the League. No fool could control a Charizard, especially one with a white tipped flame.

It was common sense that a Charizard's tail flame was indication of their health, but a fact often overlooked was that such flame also indicated their power. Of course no sane person would be staring at fire like that, however, one only need to look at the air around the pokemon. The more distorted the air around it, the stronger it was. This was more of a general rule when dealing with Fire-types, but the lines that had fire sprouting from some body part were especially true to this: Charizard, Thyplosion, Infernape, etc.

"Red" and yellow fire meant a healthy pokemon with regular power. Blue-ish tints amoung the flames meant a step-up from the regular fire-type; White flames, however, meant that that pokemon had mastered its' Fire nature.

Samson filled his cup and downed it in one go. He hoped the trainer would let this one slide, he was merely a worried researcher, someone that loved the Alola islands, and naturally was warry towards strangers. The Professor sighed and downed another shot of his drink.

* * *

Far from the noise and drunkards, Ash and Charizard sat on the sandy grounds of the beach, apreciating the night sky. The stars were bright, like jewels that would always be outside man's reach. The trainer wondered about his luck, finding such a troublesome person right off the bat. He huffed, searching his pockets for his cancer sticks.

He used Charizard's tail flame to lit the ciggarete, blowing smoke at the draconic lizard. The mon rolled his eyes, expelling a tiny amount of oily smoke through his nostrils. Both smirked at each other, appreciating the stars. He almost forgot about the presence stalking him, but alas, his senses were sharp, sometimes more than what he would like. The draconian pokemon also knew about their "visitor", but so far was waiting for Ash to dictate any action. The trainer shook his head.

Charizard huffed, showing discontentment, but obeyed. That, however, didn't meant that he had to accept such rude behavior towards himself and his trainer.

A snarl left his throat, pearly white fangs exposed. The maw of sharp death lit with fire, Charizard fixing his gaze at their "guest". The white hot fire building inside the furnace that was his gut begged to be released, yet he held it in._ Show, don't tell._

The hidden "creature" flinched, such heavy killer intent bearing over it like a physical presence; whoever it was, it undestood one thing: wronging this person meant death. No strings attached, no deals, death was bound to come. The creature opted for a non-antagonistic approach, merely leaving what it wanted to give the trainer on the ground and flying away.

Charizard stopped, his trainer patting his armored abdomen to pacify his "anger".

"Buddy."

Charizard looked over his trainer, long neck bending to allow Ash to scratch just under his jaw.

The trainer held the cancer stick in one hand, using the other to attend to his partner. **_~Inhale, Exhale._**

_"_Getting a bit cranky, aren't you? How long has it been since you've seen Charla?" The pokemon used his tail to wack the trainer over the head. The teen laughed. "I'll be fine here, bud. I got Pikachu with me; you, on the other hand, need to relax."

_"~Grrrrrhhhh~"_ A rumbling noise left Charizard's throat. The mon's eyes seemed to talk. _Can't leave you alone, there is something not right here._

Ash's muddy brown eyes flared with blue-ish light, barely enough to be registered. "I know."

Another gnarl, together with a huff of smoke._ Why then? You've done enough for Them, you deserve rest!_

The trainer turned around, eyes set on the horizon, where Aether Paradise Island was. High in the sky, far from normal human reach, was where the major cracks in reality were. The concentration of aura there was stronger than any other place around a 100km radius, as the surrounding aura focused there to repair the anomaly.

"I'll be fine, I swear!" Ash turned and reasured his partner. The fire lizard was still unsure, wanting to stay by his trainer, his friend. Yet, he respected this man.

"See, that wasn't hard! Here," Ash pulled more bills from his wallet and Charizard's shrunk pokeball. "Take the ferry tomorrow back to Kanto and fly back to Charific Valley. You have been at the ranch since I came from Unova, surely competition for the Alpha position must be high, right?" Ash smuggly nudged the lizard, the mon huffing at him. They smirked once more and turned to look back at the stars.

The Song of the Sea played in his head, his proximity from the ocean the major factor. The tune wasn't enough to fully calm him, but it served as a reminder that it wasn't the first time he was dealing with an event like this.

Except that whatever was going on here, it was rather big in scale.

He looked at the item their earlier visitor left, a white bracelet with multiple slots that were currently empty.

_Not even a week has passed, I really hoped that I would have more time to relax..._

**~Inhale, Exhale~**

**~Inhale, Exhale~**

_ I hope mom won't mind me staying over here to fix this..._

* * *

**[Information Bits]**

Pokemon (in this story) have been classified in ranks. The system that regulates this takes into account a lot of factors, the most important being: rarity, common species behavior, possible moves, and potential. Some pokemon can climb in ranks, mostly due to training assistance. Ranks are:

**Rank E:** Baby pokemon can be ranked here. Their strength is lacking as they mostly focus on living their lives. Most don't require licenses and are commonly found as pets in households. (Non-lethal capabilities)

**Rank D:** Common found wild pokemon. These pokemons require a League license (trainer and others). Their moves can incapacitate and injure humans. The majority of sponsorless trainers start with Rank-D pokemon. (Mild-danger)

**Rank C:** First stage evolution and especial breeds. Sponsored trainers receive starters from this rank. A major step-up in terms of power, the pokemons here are capable of severely injuring, cripling and even killing humans. License required for handling.

**Rank B:** First stage and trained pokemon. Major potential for lethal-moves, pokemon here require high-level trainers or handlers. They make the bulk of their nation's army and can be dangerous threats for cities.

**Rank A:** Final evolution and experienced pokemon. Only Senior-level personal are allowed to have pokemon of this Rank. The creatures here are powerful enough to raze cities and cause countless deaths. Expect prideful, dangerous and agressive species.

**Rank S:** Nothing short of legendary power. Rare pokemon that are forces of nature. Flee on sight.

-Most pokemon fit in Ranks E and D. Experienced trainers are said to have teams with mostly Rank C and few Rank B. Rank A are generally pokemon belonging to gym leaders, rangers, ACE trainers, and champions. Rank S are powerhouses, rarely appear in human sight. Some pseudo-legendaries are ranked here, but there is a great power-gap between Pseudos and Legends.


End file.
